Michael Hulton Center for HIV Cure Research

The Michael Hulton Center for HIV Cure Research has a singular goal—to identify and reduce latent HIV reservoirs, allowing people living with HIV to achieve durable control of the virus without the need for ongoing antiretroviral therapy.

The center focuses on two connected goals: shrinking the hidden pool of HIV that lingers in the body, and strengthening the immune system’s ability to keep that remaining virus in check.

This strategy is grounded in real biology: a small group of people, called “post-treatment controllers,” still carry small amounts of HIV but can keep it under control naturally, without needing HIV medications.

To find a functional cure for HIV, our investigators are pursuing multiple complementary strategies. One approach tries to safely “wake up” hidden HIV so infected cells become visible and can be found and destroyed. Another approach does the opposite: it aims to keep the remaining virus permanently silenced, so it can never reactivate. The center is also developing next-generation mRNA vaccines that produce virus-like particles, designed to trigger a strong, long-lasting immune response against HIV.